The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant known by the cultivar name `Fisson Gold`, and botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima.
`Fisson Gold` was derived from a naturally-occurring mutation of the variety `Fissonosa` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,182). `Fisson Gold` was discovered by the inventor, Jens Helmut Piscator, among a group of stock plants in Olhao, Portugal, in 1996. `Fissonosa` is characterized by its pink-colored bracts with strong, pointed lobes, uniform dark-green foliage and relatively compact, round plant habit.
`Fisson Gold` originated from a single plant displaying a branch with variegated foliage. Cuttings were taken from this branch, rooted and grown out by the inventor. One of the resulting plants, which was completely mutated, was taken to Hillscheid, Germany, in winter 1997/98, for further examination. Since the bicolored foliage looked attractive even without flowers, the plant was chosen and was used as a stock plant for asexual propagation.
Horticultural examination of the variety starting in the late summer of 1998, and continuing thereafter, has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for `Fisson Gold` are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.